Those Dog Days of Summer
by Yanagi-sen
Summary: sequel to The Next Few Days... They know the Omega team is coming for them... it's a question of when?


Those Dog Days of Summer

By Yanagi-sen

Weiss Kreuz fanfic

Usual disclaimers apply.  Schwarz isn't mine… despite the fact that Nagi is plastered all over my website… do they make any posters, etc with Schwarz on them… NOOOO… or else they would plastered all over my walls too.  However… other original characters ARE mine and if you want to use them permission to borrow would be appreciated. ^_^

Warnings: mild angst and bishie abuse

Sequel to Those First Few Days and The Next Few Days, bet some people wondered if I would EVER get back to this storyline… ^_~

"Well… there isn't a lot we can do for now." Schu commented as he settled back down again. "With talents like that, we're not gonna find them till they want to be found. Unless you know something, O Illustrious Leader." The redhead drank his coffee, unfazed by Crawford's glare. Long association apparently making him immune.

Brad finally sighed and removed his glasses, massaging the bridge of his nose. "For now… we wait."

"Behold the pale horse, and the man that sat on him was Death… and Hell followed with him." Farf grinned and sliced another picture.

Schu just looked at him.  "Well… wasn't THAT dramatic."  Farf smirked, Nagi sighed, Brad ignored them all.

**

Nagi finished up the last of his summer homework.  It had been a couple months since they had to evacuate so quickly.  After a couple weeks with nothing happening, they had returned to the penthouse apartment.  It had taken a week to get everything cleaned up and replaced.  Apparently Karl and the rest of the Omega team were not too happy to find they weren't at home.  Brad had given his school some excuse about a boating accident to explain his illness and time out recovering from the gunshot.  He figured it was as good an excuse as any other.  Luckily he had plenty of time before summer break to make up all the work.  Yet again he wished that he was JUST a high school student, OR just an assassin… both were full time jobs.  It was only late at night that he could sneak in the occasional email to the one person who understood.

The responses he received helped Nagi to hold everything together.  The atmosphere around the apartment was tense.  Neither Farf nor Schu were good at waiting and the Irishman in particular was really hovering on the edge of snapping.  They had been forced to up the dosage of his medication, and still he was spending days locked his room, restrained.  It depressed Nagi to have to see him like that.

Due to a vision earlier in the week, Brad had imposed new restrictions.  Schu was essentially forced to stay home for security reasons.  That meant he couldn't indulge in his usual outlets for energy, mainly dancing and club hopping.  He spent his evenings pacing the living room when he just couldn't stay still anymore.  There were a couple times when he cranked the stereo and begged the Japanese boy to join him, ignoring Nagi's protests that he couldn't dance.  The redhead seemed determined to teach him how, no matter how painful it was for both of them.  In those instances, Nagi just sighed and let the German have his way, it was easier than trying to argue with him when his mind was made up.

Brad essentially locked himself in his office.  He was determined to find a new patron, they had sufficient funds for now… but their savings wouldn't last forever, and with the way the economy was going if they didn't find a new employer soon, they might have to leave Japan.  Brad found himself oddly reluctant to do that.  He liked Japan.  He knew the players and the rules.  If they went elsewhere, they would be starting all over, something he really didn't care to think about.  He refused to be run out of his territory if at all possible.

When the stalemate finally broke… it took them all by surprise.

**

Crawford had forbidden anyone to go out of the apartment on their own.  This meant that for a change, Nagi wasn't sent out on random errands the way he usually was.  In general, the American did most of the real grocery shopping, Schu said he was too much of a miser to allow anyone else to shop and possibly spend a yen more than necessary.  If they came up short on something though, the youngest member got sent to the closest convenience store.  But that afternoon, Brad had taken to his bed with one of his occasional migraines.  The man didn't get them as often as Nagi did, and usually they were the result of a particularly intense vision.  But this one seemed to have no direct cause.  Schu commented that he thought it was stress and Nagi agreed.  

"Yo… Nags… I want to go get some of that wonton soup Brad likes so much.  And we're almost out of milk, coffee, cereal and instant ramen."

Nagi didn't bother protesting the nickname… this time.  "So in other words… the only things you can cook."

"I'll have you know I can make a lot of things."

The boy set aside his sketchbook.  "Any dish containing sausages and sauerkraut can't count as cooking."

"Sausage is essentially a food group by itself, chibi."  They pulled on their shoes and Schu grabbed his car keys.

"Like coffee?"

"Exactly."

"Whatever."  Nagi rolled his eyes.  He really didn't mind the sausages all that much… but sauerkraut… THAT concoction was just evil.  Then again, Schu said the same thing about tsukimi udon.  They both agreed on the subject of natto. [1]

Shopping was completely rather quickly, Nagi putting other essential items into the basket.  They needed bread and more fish, and were almost out of cooking oil as well.  He kept Schu from buying some beer, citing Brad's injunction against any drinking until things were resolved.  The redhead complained but agreed, getting caught drunk was a quick way to end up dead right now.  They paid and then stopped by a pharmacy to refill Farf's prescription.  Nagi kept surreptitiously glancing around the entire time, seeking out members of the Omega squad.  But he didn't see anyone that looked like the pictures he'd hacked.  He assumed Schu was scanning, the redhead usually did anyways.  He said it was a good way to find out all sorts of interesting things.  Sometimes if he stumbled across something truly amusing he would share it with Nagi.

Pulling into the parking area beneath the 'mansion' [2] they lived in the German parked in his spot and turned off the sports car.  "I guess I should start teaching you how to drive soon, huh?"

Nagi sighed.  "I still have a couple years before I can drive legally." [3]

Schu snorted.  "Since when has legality ever interfered in our lives?"

"You have a point."

"Come on… let's get this up, I want to get some of this soup into Brad."  They started for the elevator.  The parking garage was pretty quiet… and dark.  Nagi was getting a bad feeling.

"Schuldich…"

"What, Brat…"  The man's voice cut off as he fell to his knees, one hand to his head, the other clutching at his abdomen.

"SCHU!"  Nagi crouched down near the now prone redhead, looking around the dark garage.  He heard a shuffling sound behind him and whirled, already gathering some power.

"I wouldn't."

A thin gaijin woman stood not five meters away.  Her face was hard, eyes cold, her Japanese was thickly accented.  Behind her stood a mountain of a man, at least six and a half feet tall, and large as well.  His bared arms bulged with muscles.  Nagi narrowed his eyes and stood between them and the German.  The woman scowled.

"Don't be difficult, child."

"Why shouldn't I be?"  He started to lift his hand, intending to blast them through into the far wall.

"You will listen if you value your teammate."  At that Schuldich cried out at Nagi's feet.  It took all he had not to let anything show on his face.  Left with no choices, the Japanese boy released the gathered energies, his baby-fine hair, which had been floating about his head, falling flat again.  The woman nodded.  "Do you speak English boy?"

"Yes."  He replied in the language Brad had painstakingly drilled him in for years.

"Excellent.  Do you know who I am?"  Her accent was nearly as thick in English as it had been in Japanese.

"Madame Renault, member of Omega-8332."

"Ah… so you truly are the Prodigy, aren't you?"  Nagi refused to give her the satisfaction of an answer.  "In any case… you and the German…"  Her face and voice twisted as she spoke of Schuldich.  "…will be coming with us."

"No offense, but I don't think we want to."

"Ah… but you see… you have no choice.  If you don't want me to make him feel like he's being ripped apart from the inside out… you will."  

Schu groaned again and Nagi glanced down… which proved to be a drastic mistake as the hulking giant moved much faster than the boy would have given him credit for.  The human mountain was beside him in no time.  Nagi struck out at the man, trying to use some of the self-defense techniques his teammates had taught him.  The man simply shrugged off the hit and shoved Nagi backwards.  He fell over the telepath and crashed into the cement wall of the elevator shaft.

The last thing the teen saw as the darkness closed in, was the huge man looming over him.

**

When he was finally able to get his wits back together, he discovered that he was in some serious trouble.  The redhead found himself bound to a hard-backed chair.  The chair was placed in the center of a small room decorated in an ultra-modern, minimalist style.  Seated on what looked like an uncomfortable couch that never-the-less fit the décor, was a fairly handsome man with blond hair, cut quite short and styled, and piercing blue eyes.

"Hans."

"Ah, Schuldich, nice to have you back with us."

He tried to put everything together.  The last thing he remembered was the… shopping… parking the car… then Nagi… NAGI?!  He looked around and regretted it as his head swam.

"I wouldn't move too much yet if I would you.  Martine was perhaps a LITTLE enthusiastic in retrieving you."

"Nagi?"

"Ah yes… your little mascot.  Apparently he was determined to defend you."  The amusement in his voice was evident.  "What did you do to him to get that kind of loyalty?"  The redhead grit his teeth.  He refused to answer and give the man an inkling of how much Nagi meant to him.  He glared at Hans, trying to slip in a quick scan for the missing boy.  "Oh don't try it… unless you want him to suffer… more."  He gestured and a curtain behind him drew aside revealing a wall made of thick glass.  Schu could see Nagi, bound to a similar chair, his head bowed.  A door in the other room opened and a hard-faced woman entered.  She walked over to the boy and grabbed his hair, using it to pull his head up, revealing his face.

Schuldich was hard pressed to not let what he felt show on his face, as Hans was watching him intently.  Nagi's face was bruised, a smear of blood along one cheek and down his chin from a split lip.  His eyes were partially open, but it was fairly obvious he wasn't really aware of where he was or what was going on.

"Quite a pretty little thing I guess.  I can see why you would keep him around.  Is he fun to play with in the bedroom too?"

"Don't you dare touch him."

"Well… you see… that all depends on you.  My superiors would like him returned to the fold so to speak… however they really didn't specify what condition he was to be in when we got back… as long as he's fixable I believe.  I usually like my playmates a little older… but I could make an exception for a tender morsel like him.  And Jon has also expressed an interest in having a go at him…"

The redhead shuddered inside.  He wasn't sure which would be worse… the ogre's sheer size alone would do enough damage to the small boy, but Hans 'type' of play…  "What do I have to do?"

The blond smiled.  "So glad you decided to be reasonable."

**

Nagi blinked, the room slowly coming into focus.  His head was killing him.  He remembered the back of his skull striking the wall.  He must have knocked himself out.  'Way to go Naoe… you did a real good job protecting Schu…'  He sighed.  His head was hurting, but that wasn't the only pain he was feeling.  He realized he was tied to a rather hard chair.  The room he was in was remarkably plain, stark.  He shivered; it was a bit like being back at Rosenhell.  There was no sign of Schuldich.  He tried to wiggle a bit, trying for some slack, but the ropes were tight and parts of him definitely felt asleep.  He heard the door open and looked up to see Renault again.

"You are awake, little one."  She once again was using English.

"Where is Schuldich?"

She didn't answer just gestured toward the far wall, which appeared to be made of glass.  A curtain on the other side opened, revealing a very modern room.  Seated in a chair, also bound, was Schuldich.  A blond man was sitting on a couch.  "As you can see… he's a little tied up at the moment."

Nagi looked up at her.  "What are you going to do?"

"Me?  I'm not going to do anything.  If you mean in a more general sense… well you see… the two of you are the worms, and hopefully we will catch a couple more fish."

"And what's to keep me from simply leveling this place?"  He tried to appear calm, but her smirk revealed that she knew exactly what he was feeling.

"You won't.  Or you would have before I came in.  You still hope.  Don't deny it… I can feel it in you.  You hope that your 'Oracle' will come for you.  But to keep you out of trouble…"  She looked over at the other room.  He followed her gaze.  The blond man, Hans had risen and was standing next to Schuldich.  As soon as he saw that he had their attention he turned and backhanded the redhead.

"No!"

"That was a warning, child.  You do ANYTHING… you so much as rattle a cup… and we will take him apart.  Understood?"  Nagi nodded, knowing with complete certainty that she meant every word.  "Good to know we understand each other.  Be a good little boy."  She left, her heels ringing on the tiled floor.  As soon as she was gone, Nagi looked back over, but the curtain had been drawn.

'Oh Schu… I'm sorry… I should have done better…'

**

The two men in the hallway looked over as the French woman emerged, locking the door behind her.  Hans spoke first.  "Will he behave?"

"Of course.  We might need to do another object lesson to make sure it sinks in, but for now his self-guilt is doing all the work for me."  The woman's voice fairly dripped with scorn.

"Good, he has the potential to be the most dangerous.  Good job, Andy."  He nodded to the other man.

The illusionist smiled and ran a hand through his short brown hair.  "Child's play really… when they are expecting to see the worst anyway it's simple to twist it."

"Regardless… two at the same time, one a powerful telepath; well done.  Now, have Jon monitor these two and the rest of us will discuss our next move.

**

When Brad woke up, his headache was completely gone, as if it had never been there. [4]  He wasn't unhappy about it, but normally such things didn't clear up so fast.  He got up and decided to check on everyone.  Nagi had a tendency to forget to eat if he got involved in something, Schu and Farf were supposed to take care of him, but Brad would feel better if he knew for sure.  After that time a couple years ago when the boy had ended up in the hospital, they all tried to watch him a little better.

As soon as he opened the door, Brad knew something was wrong.  The apartment was TOO quiet… TOO dark… TOO still…  He checked the bedroom at the end of the hall.  Nagi wasn't in front of the computer, or sleeping.  His sketchbook lay on the bed as if he had just tossed it aside and expected to return.

The next room likewise was empty, the odd clutter of Schuldich's belongings offering no answers as to where the redhead was.  

The door to Farf's rather plain room was closed.  Brad opened the door.  The Irishman was lying on his mattress, reading something.  He looked up as the door opened.  "Is it dinner time yet?"

Brad frowned.  "I don't know, I just got up.  Do you know where Nagi and Schu are?"

The man shook his head.  "I've been here all afternoon.  I thought maybe everyone went out or something."

"Maybe they did… but I would think they would tell me first."

"If you were sleeping they might not have wanted to wake you.  Did they leave a message on the fridge?"

"I haven't looked yet."  Leaving the door open for the Irishman, Brad went down the hall and into the kitchen, flicking on the lights.  Sure enough, there was a post-it on the refrigerator door.  He went over to read it.

"So?"

"They went to get some groceries."

"Ah… Schu did mention something about refilling my prescription.  But that was hours ago."

This didn't feel right.  "I don't like the sound of this.  I'm going to check around."

"I'm coming with you.  You said no one was to go out alone."

Brad simply nodded.  They left the apartment and took the elevator down to the parking level.  Stepping out they saw to their surprise, Schuldich's prized sports car.

"Eh?  Did they take the subway?"

"Schuldich can't stand the subway… something is very wrong."  

Farf grabbed his arm and pointed toward a pile of bags.  "There's the groceries…"

The vision struck with sudden clarity.  He reeled from the images, which flashed by too fast for him to make sense of most of them.  Brad shook his head, then went over and grabbed the bags before calling the elevator again.  "We need to come up with a plan."

"Why?  What did you see?"

"They've been taken."

**

He didn't know how long he sat there, his limbs slowly going numb and the room growing darker, before the door opened again.  That mountain of a man came in, and Nagi couldn't help feeling a little scared.  The man turned on the overhead light and closed the door behind him.  He was carrying a tray which he set on a small table built into the wall.  He then came over to Nagi.  He fumbled with the ropes for a bit, and then they suddenly loosened.  As Nagi brought his arms around to rub some life back into his hands, Jon picked him up, chair and all, and carried him over to the table.

"Eat."  The man's voice was very deep and rough.

The Japanese teen looked down at what was in front of him.  A small bowl of plain rice, another of what looked like watery miso soup, a cup of green tea, and a pair of chopsticks.  Glancing over at the huge man warily, he saw that Jon was sitting in the only other chair, watching him.  A little uncomfortable, he picked up the chopsticks.

He started to eat, not really wanting to, his stomach was doing flip-flops, but because he knew he would need the energy sooner or later.  The rice was bland, which was good, considering his stomach, so was the soup.  In fact… it was probably the worst attempt at miso soup he had ever tried… and that's saying a lot, considering Schu's attempts at cooking.  He drank it anyways, who knew how long he would be there.  The tea at least was palatable, if a little weak.  Once he was finished he neatly set his chopsticks back on the tray.  

The hulking man loomed over him again.  "Get up."  The man seemed to only know English.  Nervously, the teen tried to rise, but his limbs were shaky and he nearly fell against the table.  The man grabbed his arm and half-propelled, half-dragged him toward the door.  Once out of the room he was taken a short distance down the hall to another door.  That room was even smaller with only a tiny window, high up on the wall.  A futon and pillow lay on the floor.  There was also a toilet with a sink for hand washing built in. [5]  The man pushed him in and shut the door.  He could hear the lock being thrown.

Quickly, while he had some privacy, he used the toilet, thanking whatever gods that were listening that they let him have use of facilities, no matter how simple.  When he was done, he sat on the futon, wishing that he had some other clothes to change into.  Seven years of being with Brad and his almost anal-retentive attention to cleanliness had influenced him.  Abruptly the light was shut off.

In the near pitch dark, Nagi curled up on the futon.  The room was warm, but not oppressively.  He was tired… instead of sleeping though, he lay there for a long time, jumping at sounds, real and imagined.

**

"They've been taken?"

"Yes, probably as they returned from shopping."

"You 'saw' them?"

"Yes.  Schuldich was tied up in a chair, he looked relatively unharmed, whether he stays that way will depend on his mouth, and Hans' need to play games.  Nagi was in a small room, it looked like he was asleep."

"That's not all."

No, it wasn't, but Brad didn't want to think about the other things he'd seen.  Those two had been the clearest images, mostly likely close to happening.  The other ones were more nebulous, conflicting with each other, variants.  One had shown them rescuing the pair.  Another showed Schuldich getting shot in the head by a hard faced woman with brown hair.  Another was of Hans and Schu fighting, hands locked around each other's throats.  One had shown Nagi, in chains, kneeling before the current ruling body of Esset.  Then the most disturbing ones… the boy lying naked in a pool of his own blood… Farf in a crumpled heap in a hallway… Schuldich, his mind burnt out… others of Nagi and Schu being beaten, assaulted, physically and mentally…

"No it's not… but what's important is we get to them before the others can happen."

Farf didn't look convinced but he nodded.  "So, what do we do?"

"I have a few calls to make.  We won't be able to act until I get some information.  Check our security; remember that one of Omega is an illusionist.  Suspect everything."  As the pale man left, Crawford picked up his phone.  "Good evening… yes… I need some information…"

**

He was rudely awakened by the simple expediency of the light turning on; a little surprised he had slept at all.  Sitting up and blinking, he watched the door open.  The large man stood there with another tray, he set it on the floor and shut the door.  Nagi heard the lock slide again.  In any other case he would be out of there within a few minutes.  Locks could be difficult if he couldn't see what he was doing, but sliding locks were the easiest to deal with.  Taking a look at the tray he sighed and made a face.  They certainly weren't spending much to feed him, that was for sure.  He ate the toast and poked at the eggs for a bit before actually eating them, fairly tasteless actually.  Whoever was doing the cooking was about on the level of Schu… and that wasn't a complement.  Another cup of weak tea and he was done.  

He used the toilet and then little faucet built into the top, trying to clean up a little.  He folded the futon into one corner and sat on it.  At least it gave some cushion between him and the floor.  The room was already starting to get warm and stuffy.  He had a feeling it wasn't air conditioned, that could end up being a problem.  Then the door opened and he stood.

Renault was there.  "Come boy… Hans wants to see you."

He was getting tired of being called boy.  It was worse than Schu's 'chibi'… at least that was done out of affection, mostly.  She was being condescending.  He followed her down the hall and up a small set of stairs, past Jon into a larger room.  The room was open and airy, but cold… done entirely in white with touches of black and steel.  It was a room to impress, not to be comfortable in.  Sitting behind a desk of some dark wood, was Hans.  On various chairs and couches were the members of Omega-8332.  Smith looked very much like a 'good ole American boy', right down to his tanned skin and easy-going smile, light brown hair and eyes.  The type of guy girls wouldn't mind bringing home to meet the parents.  Brown sat stiffly off to one side, away from the others.  Her hair was blond, obviously artificial, and her eyes a blue-green hazel.  She wasn't exactly pretty, but she wasn't unattractive either.  Renault took a seat, her brown hair coiffed in what was undoubtedly the latest fashion, perfectly manicured fingernails painted the same color as her lipstick.  She looked very much like a successful businesswomen, till you looked at her eyes.  They were hardened chips of gray.  Schu had wondered how a telempath could be a member of Omega… looking into her eyes, Nagi thought he knew.  She didn't 'feel' emotions anymore… she used them, made YOU feel them, and she liked causing pain.  Her gift had been twisted into a mockery of its original focus.

"Prodigy… real name Nagi Naoe…"  More English, did any of them speak decent Japanese?  Hans looked up from the file he was reading, probably Nagi's own.  The young man nodded, not bothering to correct the name, ignorant gaijin.  The blond smiled briefly.  "Naoe Nagi, forgive me.  In here it says you are 16 years old, enrolled in a fairly prestigious academic high school.  You are also a telekinetic, you were brought to Rosenkreuz by Crawford when you were nine, graduated early and assigned to Schwarz when it was founded."  Since none of these were questions, he didn't feel the need to respond.  After looking over a couple more pages, the man closed the folder and set it aside.

"You are also apparently a hacker of no little talent.  The accounting department is especially interested in your, how shall we say… 'creative banking' endeavors?  The archivists are also eager to speak with you… since their files seem to be getting broken into on a regular basis.  Not to mention there is the not-so-small matter of the destruction of the sanctuary and the disruption of the summoning ritual to discuss."  Nagi stayed silent; there really wasn't anything for him to say.  They seemed to have all the answers already, and unlike Schuldich, he didn't have a near obsessive need to run his mouth and get into more trouble.  Hans stared at him… then his eyes narrowed.

"Leave us."  The two Americans left without comment.  Renault looked like she wanted to protest, but a glance, and most likely a mental exchange and she left, passing him in a huff and giving him a bit of a stabbing headache.  Jon didn't move from his post beside the door.  "Now… I have a few questions… I think you can guess what will happen if you don't answer them…"

Nagi sighed… this day was really going to suck…

**

It had been a long night… and a longer day.  But finally Brad Crawford was starting to get some results.  He called in more than a few favors, and even owed a couple people, not his favored position to be in.  But… he was at last getting some leads.  Apparently… a small private jet had entered the country a little over two months ago, origin, Germany.  Since Omega teams stayed at their compound when not on assignment, this was likely when Hans and his crew arrived.  Secondly, a group of gaijin had secured a residence in one of the more upscale areas just outside of Tokyo.  This in and of itself wasn't extremely noteworthy, until you learned that name on the lease belonged to an American who had died over a year ago.

Two cars had been purchased, one by an American couple, another by a French woman.  Again, not unusual, except that the cars matched a pair seen outside the previously mentioned residence.  Additionally, the five who lived in the house did not have jobs, at least not ones that caused them to work 'office hours'.  Neither did they seem to leave too often.  No mail had arrived for them… not a single letter in the months they had been there.

There were other reports… but those were the ones that were concrete, coming from at least two different sources.  It was enough to start formulating a plan.

In some ways, Crawford wished for the days when his biggest concerns were maneuvering around Takatori's idiocy and wondering if Weiss was going to show up to ruin their plans.  The white hunters were more of an annoyance than anything else, although Schu found them fun to play with.  They had been useful though.  He was just as glad they were gone… they had a way of distracting his team when they were around.

He took off his glasses and rubbed at eyes that had been open for far too long.  It wouldn't do them any good to move tonight.  He was tired, and if he missed anything… it could mean his death.  His and Schuldich… possibly Farfarello.  But not Nagi… no, his was to be a fate worse than death if they failed.  Slavery to Esset… either as a mindless drone, a lab experiment, or a fettered servant.  None of that is what he wanted for the boy.  He had brought the youngster into Schwarz for many reasons, not the least of which, he wanted to give the kid a chance at a 'real' life.

Tomorrow… they would move in tomorrow.  It was undoubtedly a trap of sorts.  But in walking in under his own terms, Brad was tipping the scales back a bit in his favor.  That was their advantage… that and the fact that none of the Omega members were precognitive psychics.

**

Schuldich decided that life distinctly sucked.

He had been momentarily released to attend to private needs, always under guard, and had been given some water, but no food.  He was then returned to that hard, uncomfortable chair and restrained again.  The redhead hadn't been able to sleep much and Hans kept coming back in to taunt him.  It was quite an effort to curb his natural response, which was to mouth off.

He feared for Nagi though.  Except for that one time, he hadn't seen the boy at all, and he didn't dare ask about him or try to make contact.  Hans had assured him that continued good behavior would get not only first aid for the boy, but would insure other good treatment.  He was still worried though.  He knew how nasty Hans could be.  The man might be keeping his word… might… for now.  But sooner or later, the blond would get bored… and a young, undamaged teen like Nagi would be a treat to break.

Crawford would be coming.  Of that, Schu was certain.  They just had to hold out until the proverbial cavalry arrived.

**

He wasn't happy to discover that he had been right, the closet he was being kept in WASN'T air conditioned.  Nagi lay on the futon; sore, aching, and feeling like a nikubun in a steamer. [6]

Realistically… Hans could have done a lot worse.  He knew that.  He had been a little afraid the whole time that the man would mindrape him in addition to the physical abuse.  That also could have been worse than it was.  He figured Hans was a little uncertain how far he could go before REALLY hurting him.  Sometimes it helped to look fragile.

He shifted uncomfortably.  He also bruised easily.  Nagi had tossed his jeans to the side as too hot.  He lay there sweating in his tee shirt and boxers, counting the bruises visible on his arms and legs.  Hopefully they would fade quickly… or else Brad was going to have to come up with another good excuse for the school.  If they bothered to ask that was.  The nurse would, she liked Nagi… she was about the only one who did.

Nagi dragged a hand across his brow.  The room was getting rather claustrophobic.  He hoped Brad got there soon.

**

They sat in the car, just down the street, watching… and waiting.  Waiting wasn't one of Farf's good points.  He was twitching in the passenger seat, toying with a knife.  "How long?"

"We need to wait a little longer."

"Will they be able to help?"

"They better… they aren't getting paid if we all get killed after all."

"Don't even joke about that."  The Irishman seemed affronted by the idea.

"I apologize.  But they do have incentive to fight effectively.  There."  He nodded toward the white van pulling up across from the house.  "After they start to move in, we go."  The neighborhood was fairly quiet.  It wasn't extremely late, just after nine in fact.  But it was dark; there were few houses in this area, a twist in the street backed up against a steep hill preventing much construction.  Figures emerged from the van and headed for the house, they were obviously carrying weapons.  "Now."

**

Schu took great delight in the pained expression on Hans' face.  The blond was trying so hard to goad him, and he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction.  Then when the man had come close enough, the redhead had delivered a good sharp kick to the shins.  His goal of course, was to distract the man.  Brad was nearby… he could feel it.  Hans would know as soon as one of his team saw something, but till then, Schu would do whatever he could to keep the man occupied.

Suddenly the door flew open and that annoying French woman charged in.  "Hans… we have intruders."

The blond straightened.  "Crawford?"

"No… Japanese with…"  The sound of gunfire resounded down the hall.

"Damn…"  He headed toward the door.  "They just got Andy…  I've called Jon… take the boy.  Go to plan B… he must be delivered to the council."

They were ignoring Schuldich, who was currently trying to contact Brad.  He tugged at the bonds; he hadn't really tried them before.  He could feel a slight give on his right side.  Twisting his hand, he pulled… he could feel the rope scraping along his skin.  If he got loose it was going to hurt like hell.  Pushing the pain to the back of his mind, he jerked his hand…

**

Nagi jumped, hearing gunfire.  He rolled to the side and quickly pulled on his jeans.  Then he crouched, not directly behind the door, where he would be hit by it… but on that side, just beyond where the door would hit the wall.  He stayed low, leaning against the wall.  Looking up at the light, he concentrated… there was the sound of glass breaking as the bulb fell to the floor and the room was plunged into darkness.

As his eyes adjusted, he felt a brush against his mind… Schu… the touch was light, the redhead trying to sneak in while Hans was distracted.  There was a sense of alarm, and caution.  Nagi gathered a little more energy; he had to be ready, no matter who came to the door.

He heard more gunfire and then footsteps in the hall.  They were hurried, with no attempt to be secretive.  In the near-darkness, he watched as the door knob began to turn…

**

They parted as they approached the house.  Farfarello was to find Nagi and get him out.  Don't stop, don't wait… get the young man, and get out.  If Brad and Schu didn't arrive home or contact them by midnight, they were to go into hiding.

Brad was to locate Schu, free him, and hopefully wipe out what Omega members were still living.  The 'hired help' was already engaged in a firefight, they could hear it as they went in on their individual missions.  The American changed his mind, choosing to enter by a side window rather than the main door.  He had no desire to walk into the middle of the gun battle.  He could feel a light touch.  /Schu?/

/Careful, they are expecting you… but don't know you are here yet./

/Okay… Nagi?/  He crept across the darkened kitchen, gun out and ready.

/Don't know.  I haven't seen him since the first night.  But Hans just sent the bitch and the mountain to get him… and take him straight to Esset./

/Farf's going for him.  Where are you?/  He paused at the door… but no vision came.  He opened the door and peeked out into the hall.

/In a small room… can't really tell you where, but midway down a hall./

/Are you alone?/  He started to check doors.

/For now… Hans left.  You're really close./

Brad opened the door and quickly crossed to the redhead.  /You made a mess of this hand./  He drew a pocket knife and started to cut the ropes.

/I know… I didn't know if you guys were going to get here in time.  I can still hold a gun./  He stood and stretched limbs that were stiff from sitting too long.

/Good, here./  He pulled Schu's gun from his spare holster and handed it to him.  /We have some people to kill./

/Oh goody… and here I thought it was going to be another boring night…/

**

The door opened…  

"It's dark."

"Just grab the brat and let's go."

Nagi gathered a little more energy.  As soon as Jon moved into the room… he hit him with all he had.  The huge man was flung back out into the hall way and crashed into the wall on the other side.  Fortunately for Nagi, Martine ended up between the man and the wall.  Jon seemed barely effected, shaking his head and moving toward the door again.  The French woman on the other hand was collapsed on the floor.

The slight Japanese boy frantically pulled in more power and tried to hit the man again.  This blow was considerably weaker and though he staggered, the man was able to shake it off.  Nagi backed up and concentrated on simply creating a shield.  He frowned as the human mountain started to pound on the shield.  Already tired and hurt from before, Nagi knew he couldn't hold it for long.  He just hoped someone came to help him before he was too weak to fight anymore.

**

The firefight seemed to have died out.  Brad knew it was too much to hope that all members of the Omega team were dead.  In fact, they stepped over the bodies of several motionless yakuza… the 'hired help'.  Also dead or unconscious were the two Americans, Smith and Brown.  There was no sign of Renault, Jon, or Hans.

Moving deeper into the building, they could see light at the end of a short hallway.  The room opened right from the door.  The room was fairly sterile, black and white… behind a massive desk, sat Hans.

"Ah… Crawford… how nice of you to join us.  I see you've found your telepath."

"Yes I did.  I don't suppose you are willing to hand over Naoe as well?"

"You know I can't do that.  Certain people have expressed a great deal of interest in the boy.  By now he is on his way to them."

/Schu?/

/I can't tell, it's all I can do to talk to you and keep him out./

"I don't think I can allow that."

"Why not just let him go?  I'll make a deal… we'll leave you be, just let us take Naoe."

/Don't you even consider it, Brad…/

"No."

"He's a child… he can't be that important… unless… you keep him around for another reason?  I can understand that, he's quite beautiful after all…"

/Can I kill him yet?/

/Do you think you can?/

/Doesn't matter… I have to try… when you can, take the shot./

/But if you are in his mind…/

/Do it anyways./

**

Nagi was at the limits of his endurance.  

It was getting harder and harder to hold the shield.  He was backed up into a corner so he really only had to hold the front… but it was still so draining… he was so tired.  And no one was coming…

Finally he fell to his knees, feeling the shield shatter around him.

Jon grabbed the back of his tee shirt, using it to pick him up off the floor.  Nagi tried to grab the collar of his shirt or the man's wrists, to keep from being choked by his own clothing.  He wasn't completely successful as he gasped for breath.

Then he was on the floor, coughing.  Above him, someone was fighting with Jon.  He heard a choked cry… and then silence.

"Evening wee one."  He looked up to see Farf crouching next to him.  "His Highness said to leave."  Nagi nodded and tried to stand, tipping to one side.  The Irishman didn't comment, just knelt in front of him and took the boy onto his back.  They left, stepping over Renault in the hallway… and disappeared into the night.

**

The emotions around the apartment were subdued for several days.

Nagi was generally stiff and sore, though not hurt as badly as Brad feared he might be.  He now had a lovely ring of bruises around his neck to match the ones on his arms and legs, but they should fade fast.  Farf seemed to have appointed himself the boy's caretaker for the time being, and as he seemed to be in an extended period of relative normalcy, Brad was only too glad to let the Irishman do it.

He had his hands full with the last member of their group.

Brad had stood back as Schu requested and let him grapple with Hans.  They had fought with minds and fists, both using their special talents to seemingly move faster than the eye could track.  The American had stayed to the back, watching and waiting… and when the opportunity finally presented itself… he fired.  Both men had gone down.  Hans with a bullet through his head.  Schu… because he had been in 'contact' with the blond at the time he died.

The redhead had been unconscious ever since and Brad was starting to fear the telepath's mind wasn't there anymore.  He checked the bandages on the German's right wrist; Schu had certainly done a number on it.  Once he was done, he brushed a few stray hairs from the man's face.

"Brad?"

He looked up to see Nagi in the doorway, looking concerned.  "Nagi, how are you?"

"I'll be okay.  How is he?"

"No change.  But I'm sure he'll be okay.  He just needs to get resettled."

"Are you sure?"

He didn't answer, just nodded.  Nagi didn't seem to believe him, but accepted the attempt at reassurance.  The boy left and Brad settled down beside the bed.  "Don't make a liar out of me, Schuldich.  You better be in there…"

"awe… braddy… I didn't know you cared…"  The redhead's eyes were barely open but they were clear and focused.

"I didn't want to have to explain to Nagi if you didn't wake up."

"and you weren't concerned at all?"

Brad stood and headed for the door.  "I'll send Nagi up with something for you to eat."

"Thanks… I love you too."  The American didn't bother to answer, figuring that the redhead deserved to have the last word for a change.

Owari

[1]  Tsukimi udon – udon is a type of noodle, the tsukimi (tsuki = moon) part is an egg that is broken on top of the udon, then the bowl is covered for a bit and the steam and heat from the udon cooks the egg… partially, the yolk is still runny (which totally grosses me out… I don't do sunny-side up for breakfast, let alone on my udon).  Natto for those who don't know, is a delightful (note the sarcasm) food made of fermented soybeans, another ALT referred to it as 'stinky beans'.

[2] A 'mansion' in Japan is an apartment building.  Condos are becoming popular as well… although the cost is often enough to make anyone's hair stand on end.

[3] Legal driving age in Japan is 18.  My students were very impressed that I started learning to drive at 16.  ^_~

[4] Yes the headache was caused by Renault.  I figured it would be the only way they could get around Brad's precognition.

[5] This is what my toilet looks like.  There is this little basin and faucet built into the top, the water runs through the hand washing part and then down into the bowl.

[6] Nikubun – niku = meat… so a meat bun… if you've seen Saiyuki… Goku is often munching on these.  

YAY!!!  It's done!!!  And it's the last one, because Nagi's Journal continues from here… well, in a month or so from here, but this is what Nagi alludes to in his first journal entry.  What a way to spend a summer vacation, ne?  They only get one month off over here anyways, makes me appreciate the two months off at home.  ^_^


End file.
